The Adventures of Sam and Scraggy
by Srossics
Summary: Today is the day Samantha can finally start her long awaited pokémon journey, and she can choose between three different pokémon to be her invaluable partner.
1. My First Pokémon

"Sam, come here. Today you can begin your Pokémon journey. I brought over a friend of mine who has caught a few different Pokémon for you to choose from." My dad shouted at me through my closed bedroom door. I instantly got up, and before I knew it I was face to face with Professor Eucalyptus, a good family friend, and renowned Pokémon professor.  
"Hey there Sam, as you can see I brought over three Pokémon for you to choose from to begin your Pokémon journey. You can choose between Darumaka the fire type Pokémon," he said as it shot a small flame out of its mouth, "Ducklett the water type Pokémon," then it raised a wing, "or Petilil the grass type Pokémon." then it bounced up and down.  
"So, which one will it be?" My dad asked.  
I wasn't particularly drawn to any of the Pokémon, but just then I noticed this peculiar Pokémon outside the window. This Pokémon was throwing punches and kicks wildly into the air. It also looked as if it was wearing a pair of pants that was way too big for it.  
"See that Pokémon outside, dad? The one throwing punches into the air, who also looks like it is wearing pants way too big for itself? I want that Pokémon."  
"Honey, no. You don't want that Pokémon. It isn't friendly and you will have a terrible time raising it." My dad said.  
"Yes, I do want it. It is super cute and looks like it will be super strong and good in battle." I replied.  
"Not to worry Dan, I'll go get her a Scraggy. She really seems like she wants one and I'm not one to disappoint." Professor Eucalyptus said jovially. 

He left the house swiftly, taking the three Pokémon he brought with him. I went back to my room and looked on the computer for all the information on Scraggy. I stumbled across the Pokédex entry which said: Scraggy, the shedding Pokémon. Its skin has a rubbery elasticity, so it can reduce damage by defensively pulling its skin up to its neck. This Pokémon seems so cool; I was bouncing up and down, ecstatic that I will get one of my very own by the end of the day. I also looked up battles involving Scraggy and was really happy that it was awesome in battle and defeating all its opponents.  
"Sam, come here. It's time for dinner. We are having my special hamburgers you love so much." My dad said. I ran to him quickly and didn't even notice Professor Eucalyptus in the room until I bumped into him and fell down.

"Ow. I'm sorry Dad, I didn't see-" I cut myself off as I saw it wasn't my dad who I bumped into.  
"Professor Eucalyptus, I'm sorry."  
"Not to worry Samantha. Look who I brought for you." He said as he was throwing the pokéball in the air.  
Out came the most magnificent Pokémon I had ever seen. It was Scraggy! I was so happy that I ran over to it and hugged it forever.  
"She sure seems happy. You did good bringing her a Scraggy like she wanted." My dad said.  
"Not to worry. She is a cute girl and I just wanted to make her feel happy. Starting a journey is a big step in a young person's life, and one might as well start a journey with whatever Pokémon they want, barring one that would be too much for them to handle. I think her and Scraggy will have lots of fun adventures in their lives." Professor Eucalyptus confessed.  
"If you're sure, then I trust you. You have led many fantastic trainers into the realm of training pokémon." My dad said. "Now let's eat. I even have a burger for you Professor. That is if you're willing to stay."  
"I'm not doing anything important right now, so I would love to stay."  
We all ate the burgers and talked about Scraggy and how to properly raise it and what to do as a trainer.

"You know, I was once a great trainer when I was younger. I competed in the Unova League five times, and got to the finals twice, but failed both times." Professor Eucalyptus said happily.

"Oh really?" Dad said. He sounded like he didn't believe Professor Eucalyptus.

"It's true!" He said. "You can check the records, I went to the finals in 1982, and again in 1989."

"If you say so. Dad said." We then heard, in detail, about how Professor Eucalyptus narrowly lost each time, but after a little while, he left and I went to my room and began playing with Scraggy. I stared at him for a while, observing his actions as he wandered around my room, discovering many things he had never seen before. We ran around the room, chasing one another, then we both ended up falling asleep on the floor a short time later from exhaustion. 

I woke up the next day when scraggy kicked me, which I guess means he isn't used to me, but I'm sure that will pass as we grow closer to one another. Then, I caught a whiff of bacon and went to the kitchen where Dad had made breakfast. He made scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, and toast for the both of us and a special bowl of pokéfood for Scraggy. I wondered what the pellets must have tasted like, but Dad scolded me and told me that the food is specifically made for Scraggy and he would need all of it to get the proper nutrients to live a healthy life. Scraggy enjoyed his food while I talked to Dad about going on my adventure today and all that it would entail. I told him I'd do what Professor Eucalyptus could not and become the Unova League champion.  
"That's one lofty goal, especially for your age, but with hard work and determination anything is possible." He said smiling at me, and then he looked over at Scraggy with a puzzled look on his face.  
"What's up Dad, you seem confused." I said.  
"Are you sure you want Scraggy to be your first Pokémon? I know you are ecstatic about having it and going on your journey, but it is a tough Pokémon to train. Even some advanced Pokémon trainers have trouble raising Scraggy. The Pokémon just won't listen to the trainers at all."  
"Yes Dad, I want scraggy. I will do whatever it takes to make Scraggy my most invaluable friend and partner." I replied.  
We then finished breakfast in silence, and once I was done I quickly went to pack for my journey. I packed lots of food, a med kit, a knife and other essentials someone needs when they go on their journey. My dad was surely sad to see me go on my journey, but he knew what good it would do for me and my Pokémon so he let me go without much trouble. I had just made it to the end of the street when I noticed something was missing. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something important was gone. Just then Dad came running up to me holding Scraggy, his pokéball, five other pokéballs for catching wild Pokémon, and a pokédex where I can learn information about any Pokémon species I meet.  
"Thanks Dad, I knew I forgot something." I said.  
"No problem. Just be more careful so that doesn't happen again." He replied.  
All the while we were talking I was fidgeting around with the pokédex when suddenly it clicked on. Scraggy, the shedding Pokémon. It immediately head-butts anyone it makes eye contact with. Its skull is massively thick. The thing wailed.  
"Woah, the information it gave me was different information than what I read last night online."  
"What information your pokédex gives is based on which professor you got your pokédex from. The pokédex from Professor Eucalyptus is vastly different in the information it gives versus the pokédex from any other Pokémon professor like Juniper, and for some reason, people prefer Professor Juniper, so her information is more common than Professor Eucalyptus' pokédex information." Dad said nonchalantly.  
"Thank you daddy." I said, and I rushed over to him, gave him a big hug and turned away, not looking back as Scraggy and I headed off for our own journey. The journey where we would meet countless people and Pokémon of all different kinds.  
"Scraggy it is just you and me now." I whispered nervously. As I finished saying that Scraggy laid a hand on my thigh and nodded confidently, and I knew right then that this would be a great journey.


	2. The Journey Begins

"Scraggy let's-"As I was beginning to give a speech to Scraggy about the adventure we were about to embark on, something ran into me and knocked me down from behind.  
"Watch it." I said into the air. I looked up and I could see a strange Pokémon in black fur with a red tipped tail. As I got up and tried to talk to it, it transformed into me. It had my face, clothes, and height. It was me. As I was dazed and confused as to how and why something could transform into me it ran away. I tried to chase it, but as I was running I tripped on my untied shoelace and fell face-first into a patch of grass. Scraggy ran after me as fast as it could, but he ended up tripping over his loose skin and falling face-first into the grass right next to me. I got up and helped Scraggy up and then sat on the grass for a moment, laughing at how funny it was to see Scraggy fall down on his face.  
"S-Scraggy," I said between breaths of laughter, "we need to be more careful."  
"Scraggy!" He cried out nodding at me and throwing a fist into the air. Then we went on our way.

I had no idea where to go or what to do so I headed to the pokémon center where I could ask Nurse Joy for any tips or advice on how to begin a journey.  
"Well," she said, "what do you want to do? Do you want to earn badges and compete in the Unova League when it rolls around next year or do you want to be a world-class connoisseur, or do you want to do contests? There are many paths people can take while on their journey."  
"I want to be the Unova League Champion, for Professor Eucalyptus. He was never able to do it, so I want to do it for him." I replied.  
"Just give me your pokedéx for a moment and I will record all the necessary information to start you on your quest for badges." I gave it to her and a few minutes later she said everything was all set, and a moment later a pokémon I have never seen before came over to me and handed me a badge case.  
"Audino!" It cried out as I took the case.  
"Nurse Joy, who is this Pokémon?" I asked.  
"That's Audino. They are the helper pokémon at every Pokémon center here in Unova." I then pulled out my pokédex and learned information about Audino.  
 _Audino_ _, the hearing_ _pokémon_ _. Its auditory sense is astounding. It has a radar-like ability to understand its surrounding through slight sounds._ I put my pokédex away and went to exit the Pokémon center, but Nurse Joy stopped me.  
"Where will you go now?" She asked.  
"There is a gym here in Castelia City. I'll go challenge it." I replied.  
"You just started your journey, though. Wouldn't it be good for you to learn a thing or two about pokémon battles before you partake in them correct? If you wish to learn, there is a trainer school in Striaton City not too far from here. Just head out of the pokémon center and exit this city to the east. The Nurse Joy in the next city, Nacrene City, can tell you how to get to Striaton city from there. Be warned however, across the Sky Arrow Bridge is the Pinwheel Forest where many poison type pokémon live. If your Pokémon get hurt don't hesitate to come back here. I will be more than happy to heal your pokémon."  
"I will. Thank you for the help Nurse Joy." So I headed off across the Sky Arrow Bridge for the Pinwheel Forest.

The Sky Arrow Bridge is really long and narrow. I walked along it taking a break every few minutes to look at the surrounding areas; mountains, oceans, and grasslands. It took me forever to make my way across it, but after twenty minutes or so of walking and stopping to look at the scenery, I finally made it across without much trouble.  
Not a moment later I was inside the Pinwheel Forest. I was amazed that such a large forest was just outside Castelia City, and I was amazed to see all the new pokémon I had never seen before. I pointed my pokédex at one pokémon that looked like it was wearing a leaf for a hat. _Sewaddle_ _the sewing_ _pokémon_ _. This_ _pokémon_ _makes clothes for itself. It chews up leaves and sews them with sticky thread extruded from its mouth._ Just then I saw another pokémon that looked like it was a cloud; white and fluffy. I pointed the pokédex at it and it said: _Cottonee_ _the cotton puff_ _pokémon_ _. They go wherever the winds take them. On rainy days, their bodies are heavier, so they take shelter beneath big trees._  
"Only chumps learn about pokémon through the pokédex." Someone said, emerging from behind a tree.  
"Why's that?" I snorted back.  
"Pokémon are best studied up close in nature. No pokédex will ever show you how awesome the real pokémon are." He said.  
"Sam! Where are you, Sam?" A faint voice rang from somewhere in the forest. I ran over to it.  
"You forgot Scraggy." Nurse Joy said, panting.  
"That's twice today I forgot Scraggy." I replied.  
"Be more careful. I don't want your pokémon to get stolen and make you quit your journey because you lost your pokémon." She scolded at me.  
"I will, I promise. Please don't be mad at me Nurse Joy." I said, my eyes filling with tears.  
"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Scraggy."  
I bent down to apologize to Scraggy, but as soon as I made eye contact with Scraggy he kicked me hard. I fell on my butt and was rubbing the spot on my forehead where Scraggy hit me.  
"Just be more careful from now on." She said.  
"I'll try." I said. I then hugged Scraggy and called him back to his pokéball after profusely apologizing to him. Nurse Joy left quickly, and right as she turned away Scraggy popped out of his pokéball.  
"Scraggy, return." I called out to him, but as soon as he entered in the ball he popped right back out.

"Scraggy, why won't you stay in your pokéball?" I asked.  
"Maybe it doesn't like the pokéball. What a lousy trainer who can't get their pokémon to stay in its pokéball." A voice scoffed at me. A moment later the person stood in front of me and it was the trainer from before.  
"What's it to you? If Scraggy doesn't like its pokéball then it doesn't have to stay in it." I retorted.  
"Scraggy?" Said Scraggy. He then ran up to the trainer and kicked his leg hard. The trainer winced in pain and kicked Scraggy hard in the face.  
"You little piece of shit." The trainer said and kicked Scraggy again.  
"Stop!" I screamed. I ran up to Scraggy to pull him away from the trainer and tried to run out of the forest as fast as possible. The trainer followed me as I made my way back to Castelia City.  
"Help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. A random person came over to me as the trainer grabbed the collar of my shirt and began punching my face hard, making my nose bleed like a faucet. Just then a crowd surrounded us and a few people were pulling the trainer off of me. He managed to steal Scraggy from my arms just before he was pulled off of me by two big bodybuilders.

"He has my Scraggy. I want it back." I yelled. He managed to break free from the grasp of the two men and ran north past the pokémon gym. He ran past Central Fountain and made his way to the gate. Suddenly the other me got in his way and knocked him down. Then it transformed back into the pokémon with the red tipped tail. Its hand grew black as if it had a shadow on it and punched the thief square in the stomach. The strange pokémon then scooped up Scraggy and ran over to me and gently placed Scraggy on the ground at my feet.  
"Scraggy?" Said Scraggy. He then began to cry and seeing him cry made me cry as well.  
Just then my dad came out from somewhere in the crowd and put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up but did not say a word to him and I kept crying. He then lifted me up, beckoned for Scraggy to follow us, and went home where I promptly went to my room and locked myself and Scraggy in and wept for a long time. My dad was trying to get me to come out but I would not talk to him. My day was rough and I don't want to go on my journey if this is how bad it is going to be right out of the gate.

"If you won't come out or let me in, then I'll just talk to you through the door. I want you to know that the trainer who beat you and Scraggy up is now in prison, and I'm sure he'll be going there for a long time. I also want you to know that something similar happened to me while I went on my short-lived journey; I was in Striaton City and a random person that I've never met punched me in the stomach as hard as he could and caused internal bleeding in me. He then stole my Herdier, my most invaluable partner, and I have never seen him, or my Herdier since. As far as I am aware, he still has Herdier and is using it for evil deeds. I am jovial that Scraggy is alright and in your capable hands. No one can for sure say what truly happened in the forest except you, but as far as I know, if you hadn't run back here then he would have gotten away with Scraggy." He said.

I had slowly walked over to the door and opened it. As soon as I saw my dad I hugged him as tightly as I could for as long as I could. I only let go when Scraggy tapped my waist and threw up a fist, nodded, and cried out to the sky. I stopped crying because I knew Scraggy was looking out for me and just wanted to see me happy. He knew we were both fine so I tried to cheer up as best I could. I went over to the cupboard and grabbed a mug, filled it with hot water, and began to make some green tea. "Dad, I feel better and am not as sad as I was before, but I am still scared about going on my journey. I don't want to meet anyone else like that guy from before."  
"I am sure that somewhere in this world there might be someone willing to join you on your journey, and if you check with Professor Eucalyptus tomorrow I am sure someone else who might be starting a journey will come by looking to get a pokémon from him who would join you." Dad said.  
"It's only five in the afternoon, so I will go and ask if I can hang around tomorrow." I said.  
"That's fine by me. Just go down near the central fountain and you will find his lab. You won't miss it. It has a green roof."  
I finished my tea and headed off to Professor Eucalyptus' lab. It indeed was near the central fountain like dad said, so I went up to the door and knocked on it.  
"Who are you? Starting a journey I presume?" Some science guy said to me.  
"No, I already have a Scraggy, but it is at home with my dad. I was just hoping to speak with Professor Eucalyptus about something." I replied.  
"Sure, just give me a minute." I went and sat on a nearby bench right by the fountain and watched all the people walk by talking on their cell phones, undoubtedly about business type things I would not understand.  
"Samantha, what are you doing here? I thought you would be on your journey." Professor Eucalyptus asked.  
"Something happened and I wanted to come over to your lab and ask you a question. So, I was attacked earlier today, and since I was attacked I've been feeling very scared about being alone. I wanted to know if I could wait at your lab tomorrow for a trainer to come to your lab and get their first pokémon to start their journey." I responded.  
"I don't see why not. A new trainer is coming to the lab tomorrow, and I we can see if they will join you. I am truly sorry to hear you got attacked and would love to know you are going on a journey with someone rather than alone. Come by my lab tomorrow at eight in the morning."  
"That's doable." I said cheerfully.

I then went home, and I had dinner with Dad, and Scraggy ate as well, and we all swiftly went off to bed even thought it was only eight-thirty in the evening. Scraggy must've stayed up later than me because when he kicked me awake again, my room was a mess.  
I looked at my alarm clock and was surprised to see that it was already seven-thirty. I changed out of my pajamas, grabbed a piece of toast, and left the house swiftly, beckoning for Scraggy to follow me.


	3. A Friend

"Ah, good to see you, Samantha." Professor Eucalyptus said just as I was about to reach for the door handle to the lab. He opened the door and beckoned me inside. I hung my coat up on the coat rack and walked in. The building was big and full of intense looking gadgets and gizmos that I couldn't even begin to guess what they do. I ran around the lab asking every scientist about what machine they were working on but ran off before they could get a word out, and Scraggy was running all around the lab too.  
"Samantha, it's good to see that you have such an interest in the work done here, but these people are busy. Please do not bother them. Just go sit on the couch over there and watch some television until the new trainer arrives. It shouldn't be more than an hour for them to arrive."  
"Alright." 

I went over to the couch and watched the television. I watched a documentary about a far-off place called Hoenn or Alola or something, but I didn't pay too much attention. However, I was fascinated by all the water type pokémon. They taught me about pokémon like Marill and Wingull. It said that Marill are usually playful pokémon and enjoy running around with other Marill. However, they have been known to play with small children and because of this some children inadvertently become lost. It also said that because Wingull and Pelipper eat Feebas the Feebas population has severely decreased and researchers are working on conservation efforts to try to bring Feebas numbers up. I think the Wingull are super cute, and I'm glad they eat Feebas, because the Feebas are really ugly.  
The documentary was winding down, and I could I hear Professor Eucalyptus talking to someone across the room. I couldn't really understand what he was saying, but he was talking to a girl my age while showing her three different pokémon I've never seen before. Her hair was dark brown and she had beautiful skin. She was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I whispered to scraggy, "Man, she's really cute, don't you think Scraggy?" and he nodded in agreement. 

I walked up to them and I was captivated by the three cute pokémon Professor Eucalyptus was describing. "Now Katie, this one here is Snivy, the grass type pokémon. It's a somewhat stubborn pokémon so it can be hard to raise, but it will be loyal to you and will be an invaluable partner." He paused for a minute while Katie was admiring it. I thought it was cute, and I would have picked it out of the three here. "This next one is Tepig, the fire type pokémon. This is a very strong pokémon that will win you many battles if you train it just right." He paused again while she was observing it. "This last one is Oshawott, the water type pokémon. This is the most popular choice and the most well-rounded. It's easy to use so you'll get accustomed to it rather quickly." She looked at Oshawott, but she didn't seem to like it much.  
"I knew from the second I saw it that I want Snivy Professor. It's super cute and I really like it." Katie said joyfully.  
"Ah, good choice. Snivy was my first pokémon as well." Professor Eucalyptus said while giggling a little. "Here is her pokéball. Just call her back and she'll go inside it." Katie extended her arm and called Snivy back and it went inside the pokéball without a problem. "Now wait here for a minute while I get your pokédex all set."  
"Hi there Katie, I'm Samantha." I said. "I just started my journey yesterday."  
"Oh, I'm starting mine today!" She said. "Which pokémon did you choose?" I pointed at scraggy, and he kicked the air.  
"His name is Scraggy." I said.  
"Buy why don't you have one of the ones Professor Eucalyptus showed me?"  
Before I could answer, Professor Eucalyptus said, "She saw a Scraggy outside yesterday, and she really wanted one, so I went and got one for her. Anyway, I have your pokédex, and five empty pokéballs for catching pokémon."  
"Wow! That's cool." She said. Eucalyptus handed her a pokédex and five empty pokéballs.  
"Why don't you two have a battle out back? I can teach you two how to battle properly." Eucalyptus said.  
"Yeah!" Katie and I said in agreement.

We walked outside and there was a fenced off area that looked like it could be used for a battle. "Here is the battle-field, ladies. First, Sam, go over to the far side, and Katie, you stay on this side." I ran over to the far side as fast as I could. "The ultimate goal of any battle is to make each of the opponent's pokémon faint before yours faint. Now, typically both of you would send out the pokémon you want to battle with, but since you each have one, Katie will send out her Snivy, and Sam, you will send out Scraggy."  
"You got this Scraggy, I believe in you!" I whispered.  
"Go, Snivy!" Katie yelled.  
"Now, what you want to do is call out moves that your pokémon knows."  
"Uh, how do we know what moves they have?" I asked.  
"Check your pokédex, it'll tell you what moves each pokémon has."  
I fiddled around with my pokédex for a few seconds, and it said, "Your Scraggy is level five. It knows leer, low kick, and sand-attack."  
"Are you ready Katie?" I called out.  
"Yeah!" She said. "Do we just call out attacks Professor?"  
"Yes, just call out attacks, and they'll start battling one another." He said.  
"Snivy, use tackle attack!" Snivy then ran quickly toward Scraggy and tackled him down to the floor.  
"Sam, now you can call out an attack." Eucalyptus said.  
"Scraggy, use low kick!" I cried out, and Scraggy kicked Snivy.  
"Good, you two seem to have it down! Now I'll just let you two finish the battle by yourselves." He said.  
"Snivy, tackle!" Katie said. Snivy tackled Scraggy again.  
"Scraggy, use leer!" Scraggy then stared at Snivy with a scowl, and Snivy looked scared. "Scraggy, use low kick!" Scraggy kicked Snivy again, and Snivy fell to the floor, and it is unable to move.  
"Snivy is incapacitated, so Sam wins!" Eucalyptus called out.  
"Good job Sam!" Katie said. "Snivy return." And Snivy was whisked back into the pokéball.  
"Thanks!" I said.  
"Oh, ladies, I forgot to tell you something." He said. "You can make your pokémon dodge attacks if you tell them to when they're about to be hit. It requires some skill to know when and how to make them dodge, but it can be done." 

We walked inside, and we all sat around a small table in the kitchen. "So Katie, I think Sam has something she wants to ask you, don't you Sam?" Eucalyptus said.  
"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind," I couldn't force myself to say it. "I wanted to ask you,"  
"Sam wants to know if you would accompany her on her journey." He said.  
"This is a bit sudden don't you think?" Katie said.  
"I got attacked yesterday, and the guy almost got away with Scraggy. I'm afraid that if I don't have help, something like this might happen again, and they might get away with my pokémon." I said.

"Oh my gosh, that's awful! I'm glad you got Scraggy back safely." She paused for a few seconds then said, "I'll join you on your journey." I was really excited to have someone join me on my journey.


End file.
